


Erase

by marsakat



Series: defects and powers [2]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Astral Projection, Government Experimentation, M/M, Memory Alteration, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-22 21:26:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13175538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marsakat/pseuds/marsakat
Summary: Josh had been waiting his whole life to find his soulmate, but after what happened at their first, chaotic meeting, he was shocked to find that Tyler was a memory he struggled to recall.Someonehad done something to his mind.





	Erase

**Author's Note:**

> another installment of the defects and powers au! I hope you all enjoy

Josh pressed his palms hard into his closed eyelids; fireworks blossoming across his retinas as he tried to force shut the steady trickle of leaking memories. His grasp on what happened was as tenuous as if it had happened in his sleep, and Josh knew he shouldn't forget. They were trying to do that to him, and if they could erase the incident, Josh would never be able to save Tyler.

_ Tyler  _ was like a dream— after what they had done to Josh, and he figured they must have done  _ something _ , because how else could he ever forget what Tyler looked like?

Josh could remember how it felt to have Tyler’s soft hair brushing his jaw and the point of Tyler’s nose pressed to his neck. He could still feel the ghost of warmth as his soulmate filled his arms and warmed all the way to his once-again empty core. To feel such love in an instant was truly holy. 

Josh had spent his life being told that meeting his soulmate would be the most earth shattering phenomenon he'd ever experience. All his years of loneliness and doubt had been proven wrong;  _ Tyler  _ had made it all worth it.

But when he forced himself to visual his soulmate, the person he'd been waiting for, he couldn't see him. Josh’s fingers could still feel Tyler’s coarse clothing, but when it came to picturing his face, all he could conjure was a blur. 

Josh tried to reason that maybe he just hadn't seen much of Tyler's face. But there was that heartstopping moment where they stared at each other, and yet Josh couldn't- He couldn't- 

He was terrified that if he ever was so lucky to see Tyler again, he wouldn't be able to pick him out of a crowd.  _ They _ had done this to him and he was going to save Tyler from them. 

“Joshua! Meal time!” His mother called and Josh let his hands fall from his eyes, concentration broken. 

He grasped at time like a climber struggling up a rope; the synthetic fibers scratching his palms and his stomach flying to his throat as he dropped occasionally. 

Josh had been kneeling on the floor of the bedroom he shared with his brother, because private rooms were indulgent and a waste of resources for the community. One boy in his class whispered to him once that it was just a way for  _ Them _ to make sure no one had a place to hide. 

Two sons, two daughters— Josh’s parents had raised the perfect family for the community, had done their best to teach them well. Josh had always imagined his life following the path that was expected of him. But after  _ Tyler _ happened, his priorities had changed completely. 

Josh took the stairs slowly, mind elsewhere and already far from the dining table where his family watched his every move surreptitiously. His siblings didn't know exactly what went wrong when Josh went to the Power Containment Facility, so Josh was an object of curiosity rather than concern or shame, like how his parents looked at him. 

He hadn't been able to tell either of them what had really happened. Josh tried, but his father shushed him, saying it was too dangerous for them to know. As far as they were concerned, he'd been bamboozled, and there was nothing more to discuss. Josh was sure that was what he'd said when he'd been questioned by the… people at the facility. He wasn't sure what they were called, and his memories were fuzzy from the interrogation.

Josh believed and hoped the fact that him and Tyler were soulmates was still a secret. 

He wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't being scrutinized after that incident. Josh didn't want to think about what his parents probably believed was inevitable if Josh wasn't careful. He had an inkling now of what happens to the people who disappear completely as if they never existed before. 

* * *

He ate listlessly, his mind becoming utterly blank until his memories restarted when Josh was back in bed, his barely perceptible hunger satiated. He figured that the time was after Lights Out, since his brother’s soft breaths signaled sleep.

Josh felt so lonely, not only was his soulmate so out of reach, but no one else could understand. For the first time ever, there was a problem he couldn't ask an adult to help him. The rules were against him and he wanted to break them, tear them down so he could be reunited with— with—

_ Tyler!  _ Josh could have screamed, the hesitation in his mental narrative terrifying. Someone was trying to steal his soulmate away from his mind. Josh’s heart raced and his limbs felt the urge to leap up and run all the way to where Tyler was being held.

Already Josh was losing him, and he couldn't go too long without saying Tyler’s name to himself, or else that simple word would slip out of his brain. Even the scratches on his face from flying broken glass were nearly healed— the only physical reminder of what happened was almost gone. Josh was terrified, wondering if he dared to sleep; as if the hours at rest would let all the memories dissolve away. 

He had to stay awake. 

_ Tyler.  _

He couldn't lose him. 

_ Tyler.  _

He needed to hold him again. 

_ Tyler.  _

* * *

_ Red hallway, the light barely illuminating; the corners and edges still dark with the hue. _

_ He was blinded; a metal chair hard and cold under his legs.  _

_ Words thrown at him like knives, waiting to see if he faltered.  Bombarding and confusing him, Josh tried to grasp on the advice Tyler told him.  _

_ “I don't know how that happened! He just… Ty- I mean.. the- the subject must’ve done something to me!” _

_ Josh was certain he was failing. Electricity wracked his body, pain making it hard to focus, though the thought of  _ Tyler _ kept him repeating the alibi- his only hope at survival.  _

_ Eyes as sharp and blue as the sparks dancing torturously across his skin—she wore the same shapeless uniform as Tyler. Josh knew the pain came from her, though his aching mind moved slowly to understand.  _

_ She was one of them. She had powers but  _ They  _ were using her for their bidding.  _

_ Her face was blank but her eyes screamed regret. Josh felt consumed, the blue absorbing him and mixing with red from the hallway.  _

_ He couldn't remember- _

_ Josh couldn't recall what happened next.  _

* * *

Josh woke up in a cold sweat; it was still nighttime though the sky through the window was milky with the hints of a rising sun. He was paralyzed with fear and phantom pain from the dream, though the memory was already receding like the tide.

Eyes were all he could hold onto. Not just electric blue but grey and brown. Brown— that must have been Tyler's eyes, because Josh remembered feeling safe, and whole. 

The grey— it was funny how they stayed with him; a placeholder instead of memories from  _ Tyler _ . Josh worried about those eyes for days. 

Had there also been someone else in the room? How many people? 

Josh remembered being alone but also remembered a crowd lurking beyond the lights that blinded him and the eyes that mesmerized him. Voices shot the questions and the eyes forced things to happen to him. 

_ A boy _ . 

It hit Josh as he left school during the last week before the ceremony where their futures were formally announced. The memory returned to him, hitting him in the face like a bucket of cold water being thrown to wake him. 

There was another boy in the room who stepped forward after the girl. 

“ _ Wipe the last 6 hours out of his mind.” _ A voice had instructed and the boy lifted his hand. 

A chair. Josh had been tied down to the chair— that was important. He hadn't been able to move to dodge the magnetic pull of the grey eyes. He started falling, spinning away into the dark, and Josh clutched to Tyler’s name like a life preserver. 

Josh didn't even acknowledge the pain in his knees as he slammed to the ground, bowing under the weight of his sudden vision. Skin scraped against concrete and his cheek was rubbed raw, but Josh couldn't hear the concerned voices circling him. 

It wasn't like blackouts he'd been experiencing ever since the boy with mind wiping powers and grey eyes had tried to remove Tyler from his memories. Instead of just blinking into nothingness and finding himself hours later, Josh felt his conscious slip into a grey space. He was aware of this altered state, afraid of what was happening, and alerted to the fact that  _ someone else was there with him.  _

There was somebody lurking in his mind. 

The fog cleared and Josh could see his limbs— his body was there in that place, somehow. He didn't know if he had to fight, but he braced himself for the approaching entity. 

“Joshua?” 

Suddenly, everything that had felt so wrong—his fear and loneliness that had gotten so much worse after the incident—all went away with that soft voice. Quiet, hesitant; the voice was everything he’d ever waited for.

In disbelief, Josh whispered back, “Tyler?”

“Yes!” came the reply with delight that reverberated in this plane, setting the everything quivering with delight. 

Josh felt a giggle rising into his throat that was quickly cut off by the sudden appearance of his soulmate right in front of him. He’d been wondering when they’d see each other again, panicked about the loss of memory and what Tyler’s face looked like. Somehow Tyler was there, and Josh didn’t know what to do.

Tyler’s beautiful brown eyes held fathomless hardship— experience that aged him beyond years and Josh quelled under the examination. He realized he was probably a disappointment. Josh was less than ordinary; unable to do well at school, likely to be destined for a short life in manual labor. He had nothing special to offer, especially not to Tyler, who was so mysterious and powerful.

Josh was enraptured by him, had so many questions, but he waited for Tyler to speak. Tyler was clearly there in whatever place they were, and there was something  _ real  _ about the brush of his fingers across Josh’s cheek. Josh had to remind himself that this was in his mind, they weren't physically together. 

“I've been told my whole life that there was no soulmate waiting for me.” Tyler's eyes were overlarge and shining with unfallen tears. “I thought it was for the best, so no one would be alone, since there was no way for me to escape. But I'm so, so happy you found me because…” His chest heaved with a deep breath, “because you're so much better than I could have imagined.”

Josh opened his mouth to protest, to insist he wasn't what Tyler had misread, but he was cut off with a shush and a finger to his lips. 

“I can see how much you doubt yourself, and I already know you are _ more _ than that.” 

It took Josh a moment to realize that it wasn't rain falling down his cheeks, chilling the warm trail left behind by Tyler’s touch. The words had hit him in the softest part of his heart— to know that Tyler had looked inside him and hadn't turned away in disgust, that Tyler could see something worthy in him— Josh felt relief that poured through him and loosened every tense knot. 

Tyler smiled at him— his face was smooth and unmarked. This version of him wasn't marred by shadows of bruises and hollows of malnourishment. When they'd first met, Tyler was vulnerable and frightened, needing Josh to protect him, but in this plane, he was perfect. Only his eyes spoke to the crouching figure that hid in Josh’s arms with guns pointed at them. 

“So… uh… What's going on? How are we here?” Josh asked. 

“Well, um, I  _ think _ this is in your mind, like in your subconscious. This hasn't really happened to me before, either. Ever since we met, I've been able to… uh, let my mind walk out of the facility, trying to find you.” Tyler mused, hands moving over Josh’s arms; touch starved and amazed. 

“You were in my mind then. You spoke to me. Are you a mind reader? Is this was you can do, your… power?” Josh wanted to know everything about him, he'd been waiting for so long with so many questions. 

Tyler shrugged. “I'm not entirely sure  _ what _ I can do.  _ They _ took me away when I was young and have been wiping my memories, suppressing my abilities. It's been hard to keep track of time, which is funny ‘cause it all comes back to time.”

“Huh? Time?” 

“Don't really know…  _ They _ make me...” Tyler clammed up. His face slipped from a happy, self-possessed demeanor back to terror-stricken. It was clear that Tyler was still the same scared person that Josh had held as guns were drawn. 

Josh wanted to tear the whole facility for treating Tyler as less than human, for causing that look in his eyes. He closed the distance and embraced Tyler, whispering promises to save him. 

“I know you will.” Tyler said, shaking in Josh’s arms. Even though they were still surrounded by grey clouds— an undetermined setting, it all felt too real. 

“Where are you right now? Are you safe?” Josh asked. 

“As safe as I can be.” Tyler replied, wiping his eyes. “I'm in my cell. Looks like I'm sleeping after the daily… session. And you?”

“I, uh.” Josh tried to recall, the memories still slippery. “I think I'm walking home from school. I wasn't too far from my house— oh, I hope people haven't seen me yet. This would be hard to explain.”

“Dizzy, passed out.  _ They’d _ be expecting it after what happened the other day.” Tyler was matter-of-fact. He knew what the two of them were up against. 

“Yeah, but I don't want anyone to notice me. That's what’ll get us into trouble. I'm supposed to have my Selection ceremony in a few days. If I want to get picked to work in the facility,  _ They _ can't be suspicious.” 

Josh was surprised at his own words, realizing that his brain had been concocting plans on its own, unless this was the by-product of his special connection with Tyler. He couldn't be too sure, but it seemed when he was connected with Tyler, there was just  _ more _ to think and feel. 

Tyler nodded and sighed. “We’ll figure it out after that. I don't know how much longer I should hold you here, so we should probably… end this right now.” He said with regret. “Didn't really expect it to work today, I've been trying ever since we met. Um, next time I'll try to reach you after Lights Out, okay?”

Josh smiled, despite the sadness that they were about to part.  _ Next time _ , at least there was already going to be a next time. 

“I'll look forward to that.” He said. “I-I love you.”

It felt strange to say that to someone he barely knew, but it was how he felt. The society tried to describe soulmates as ultimate compatibility— fancy scientific lingo about symbiosis and genetics, but, if people were only allowed to be transcendental, then it would be acknowledged how beyond explanation it all was. They were chosen for each other, two flames for one candle. 

Tyler faded quickly, and Josh was barely able to see him, but his very essence vibrated with the words; “I love you, too.”  

* * *

The happiness that warmed every inch of him was still glowing as Josh woke abruptly. There was a boy Josh recognized from school running towards him, but Josh did not know his name.

“Are you okay? You fell really hard!” The younger boy crouched down next to him. 

“Yeah I'm fine. I dunno what happened.” Josh played dumb. 

“I saw you, like, trip.” The boy offered him a hand and Josh stood a little shakily. The palms of his hands, his forearms, and his cheek all were scraped, and his knees were bleeding slightly. 

“Yeah, I guess so.” Josh glanced around, wondering if anyone else, anyone he should be worried about, saw what had happened. It looked like the coast was clear, that he'd only  _ just _ fallen. 

Somehow he had that whole conversation with Tyler, and it felt like it took a blissfully long time. But he woke up and barely a moment passed. It made his head spin and he staggered a little. 

“Hey, you look kinda pale. Are you sure you're okay?” The kid asked. 

“I-I think I'm gonna go home. Need to… lie down or something.” Josh gestured down the street. “My house is right there. I'll be fine.” 

The boy looked very concerned, or possibly suspicious, but Josh hurried away without another word. His mother didn't question him, and he went straight to the bathroom to clean his wounds. 

Proof. Proof again that Tyler was real. Tyler crossed the laws and bounds of physics and reason to reach into Josh’s very mind. Even with the clouds fogging his memories, there was no denying that the pull between them was stronger than anyone who wanted them broken and separate. 

Josh may not have powers, but he was going to do everything within the realm of possibility to save Tyler. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really enjoying writing this series and I will keep going. I enjoy the freedom of writing as separate stories because then I can bounce around within the timeline.
> 
> teeentyonepilots on tumblr... come into my inbox, alright? Say howdy!


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